Seattle to Denver

WE ARE HERE! We made it to Denver safe and sound! I captured a couple of our trip highlights below.

 Here is Caleb on the day we bought our trailer. We sold everything that wouldn't fit before we left.

 Quick pit stop for some roadside cherries. Somewhere between Pasco and Spokane. 

 YIKES! The Loadrunner murderer a mass amount of bugs - this was only halfway through the trip!

 Oh, the gas mileage, not so good...I thought this was the worst it was going to get but I was wrong.

This was somewhere in Montana I think. There was a massive amount of trees that grew up out of the water. The whole lake was filled with them.

 No trip through the beautiful state of Wyoming is complete without a trip to Yellowstone. It was amazingly beautiful and there was no shortage of wildlife to see.

 Wyoming has got to be the most interesting place I've ever been. Not only were we highly entertained with the drive up liquor store, the Outlaw Bar we ate dinner at was exactly what I had pictured Wyoming would be like.

 This was the cheapest place we got gas during the whole trip! (Where else but Wyoming...)

 We are almost there!

 On the way into the city we were greeted by black storm clouds. Within minutes the rain was POURING down with thunder and lighting every few seconds. I was concerned - what about my 330 days of sunshine? (The rain was short lived and the sun is shining again!)

Once we arrived safe and sound we were hard at work looking for an apartment! 

Thank you for all of your prayers! I will continue to keep you all updated. 

Dark Chocolate M&M's: Yes.

Have you tried these? I love them! I just made an afternoon cup of french press coffee (someone left a bag of whole bean Starbucks Tribute blend on Caleb's desk a couple weeks ago and whoever you are mystery coffee angel, thank you!) and am sitting down to work on a presentation I'll be doing at my church women's group and needed a little something to nibble... that was sweet, but not too sweet. I needed something perfect. I'm now enjoying a little handful of these as I sip my coffee and it is the perfect match. Oh yes. Just thought I'd drop a little note and let you that you should test these out sometime. 

Add them to your grocery list! 

Enjoy!

Part 1: How To Make A Weekly Meal Plan

The most important step in being more organized, relaxed and joyful at meal times is having a plan. If making a weekly meal plan seems overwhelming to you, don't fear! I've done my best to break it down into a few easy to follow steps to help get you started. Just like any other skill, the more you do it, the easier it will become! Let's get started!


1. Look at the Calendar: This is where you must begin, especially if you have a nutso schedule. Map out the days you'll eat dinner at home and the days you'll eat dinner elsewhere. On the nights that you will eat dinner elsewhere (community  group, dinner with friends, date night etc.) determine if you will contribute something to the meal and if so write that in. Also note the days where you will be pressed for time, this will help you know what type of meal to choose for that specific day. If you know in advance that you'll only have 45 minutes for dinner, you can plan to make a quick meal that evening or plan to throw something in the crock pot that morning.


2. Pick the Meals: Now that you know which days you need to plan for, pick your meals! This is actually planning out what you will have for dinner. It's important to be detailed as doing so will help you create your grocery list and not forget anything! There are a number of things to keep in mind when you are choosing your meals:
a. How long does this meal take to prepare? (don't forget prep time ie: chopping, marinating etc.)
b. Who am I making this meal for (husband & kids, kids-only, dinner guests etc.)  and what allergies or preferences do they have?
c. What is my budget? This is very important. To be a wise steward of your resources it is important to know your budget and plan meals that fit into it. 
d. What is in season and on sale? Most grocery stores have their weekly ads online. Before I make my meal plan I go online to see what's on sale and include those items in my meals. (ie: if whole chickens are on sale for .77/lb then we'll probably be having a lot of chicken!)
e. Does this meal produce leftovers? This is a good question to keep in mind as you pick your meals. If you pack lunch for yourself and/or your husband then leftovers are a major bonus because they make "what to bring for lunch" a no-brainer!


3. Don't Forget Lunch: I don't know why but for the longest time I never planned anything for lunch. If there were leftovers, great but if not - panic! I have found that lunch must not be overlooked. If you eat at home for dinner and your dinners produce leftovers then you're pretty much set. If leftovers are not a favorite in your home or you won't have any leftovers to take for yourself/send with your husband then you need to plan something else. Two suggestions:
a. Make a "school-boy" lunch: buy sandwich fixings, apples, pretzels, carrot sticks and other lunch items.
b. Make a meal at the start of the week and eat it all week long for lunch. If you or the lunch-eaters you are packing for are not big sandwich fans, consider making a big batch of chili or enchiladas at the start of the week. Package up your meal into tupperwares and you've got something to grab everyday.


4. Plan Breakfast and Snacks: When you are making a meal plan, it's important not to leave any meals out! Breakfast at my house can be "fend for yourself" but in order for my family to fend for themselves, they need options! Either plan a few options for your family (cereal & milk, yogurt, bagels & cream cheese etc.) or make a daily breakfast schedule (similar to dinner.) If you plan to make a big breakfast on the weekends, make sure to notate that on your menu planner. Finally we arrive at snacks. It's safe to assume that our husbands and children will often come home from work or school and want a snack. Plan out a couple snacks you will have on hand to give them (granola bars, crackers, string cheese, carrots & hummus, nuts etc.)


5. Relax and Have Fun: No need to let all this meal planning stress you out! Remember you are doing this to make your life easier! It may be a little slow to start. You will most likely fail a few times. You might forget something at the store. You may realize you forgot your wallet once you've got everything in your cart. It's okay. Your identity cannot be found in being an excellent wife/mother/household manager but only in being a daughter of the King! 


Get started making your meal plan! I'll be back soon for part 2: Making a Grocery List and Sticking to it! 

brown butter and hazelnut asparagus! add it to your meal plan!

Meal Planning: My First Series!

Friends, the time has come for me to do my first series! Doesn't that sound like fun? To me, it does. Something I have worked very hard to create for my home and family is consistent meals. I know, it sounds simple - but it's not always as easy as it sounds! 

Doesn't it sound nice to always have something to make for dinner? What about having something to make for lunch too? In this three part series I will cover the important steps involved in planning and executing meal time including:

1. How to make a weekly meal plan

2. Grocery shopping for success

3. Being flexible and other tips

Hope you'll join me in planning to make your meal times more organized and enjoyable!

God Saves

Friends!

I have just finished listening to this sermon preached by Pastor Matt Chandler and I found it to be very touching. I wanted to share it with you so that your joy could be increased as you see God as the one who saves us.

Some of what Jesus taught me are as follows:

1. The more awesome I think I am and that God "partners" with me in my awesomeness, the more frustrated I will be.

2. God doesn't force people to love him, he reveals himself to them and they do.

3. We will always be battling sin and the flesh. God will always be chiseling away the parts of us that are not of him and replacing it with what is.

4. There is often times JOY in the battle against sin and every time I repent I can experience the forgiveness of God more deeply, my lament over sin quickly turns into rejoicing that God loved me and IS conforming me to the image of his son.

5. God saves. We do not.

Please listen to it - while your making dinner or driving to work. I just listened to it while I made a cheesecake.

God Saves    (October 2011)

Let me know what you think.

Mom's Monster Cookies

Monster cookies, or whatever you want to call them are my new favorite thing. Why? I love them because they've got it all chewy oatmeal, peanut butter and of course, chocolate! Another stunningly amazing thing about them is that they are GLUTEN FREE! Which means I can make a cookie that I adore, at the same time I am making something that Caleb can have. It's a win-win in my book. I love them so very much that I try not to make them all at one time, if I do, my self control goes out the window and all the calories I had previously burned on the elliptical are obsolete. To combat that and help myself out, I cook up a dozen or so of these little beauties for the week (or as long as they last)....

Then, I roll them rest of them up into balls and put them in a tupperware that goes into the freezer...
With a little note on the top reminding me what they are (as if I'd forget!) and the baking instructions.
That way if I'm dying for a little sweet with my coffee or want to put a treat in Caleb's lunch or we happen to have an impromptu counseling session - I've got a quick and no mess solution! I hope you enjoy these guys as much as I do.

Mom's Monster Cookies:

From Mom

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 1/2 cups oats, make sure they are gluten free if you are sensitive to gluten!

2 cups chocolate chips or m&m's (or one cup of each)

Cream together the first three ingredients and add in eggs, beating well to combine. stir in the soda, vanilla, oats and chips until combined. Bake on a greased cookie sheet (or use a silpat like me) at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

**This cookie recipe is wonderfully forgiving and as long as you stick to the basic idea you can add in whatever you want. Mom recommends nuts, raisins (I don't like raisins so I would never do that, but some people do like them) peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips or other candies like reeses pieces. Sky's the limit! I think next time I make them I will try to incorporate caramel! Let me know what you add into yours!

Breakfast is served!

I love breakfast! Now that I am not working I am able to make hot breakfast much more then I used to. This is a major bonus for me because I love, love, love eggs. I like them scrambled, fried, hard boiled but my most favorite way to eat them is in breakfast casserole type things. Last week I made these little beauties for breakfast and they were wonderful! I could eat breakfast for dinner at least once per week although Caleb is not so into it....!

Bacon and Asparagus Cups

4-6 strips bacon, diced

half an onion, diced

8-10 asparagus spears, cut into 1in pieces

8 eggs

1/4c milk or half n half

1/2c (or more) cheese, any variety I like cheddar or swiss, grated

1. cook bacon and onion together in frying pan until bacon is cooked to desired crispiness and onion is soft and golden. Add in asparagus pieces and cook one minute more. Pour mixture into a GREASED pie pan (or individual ramikens if you have them)

2. In a bowl whisk together 8 eggs with milk or half n half and season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over the bacon mixture in the pie pan. Top with shredded cheese.

3. bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the eggs are set and the top is browned.

If mornings are rushed for you, make this the night before and microwave a piece in the morning - it tastes great and you can eat it just as fast as a bowl of cereal!

Enjoy! This little dish is very versatile, change the ingredients to fit your family's tastes or what you have in the fridge. Would be delicious with mushrooms, sausage, ham, spinach, kale etc!

Happy Breakfast! Remember - it's the most important meal of the day!